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A groundbreaking new clinical study proves that the turmeric extract known as curcumin is at least as effective as Prozac in treating serious depression. When one factors in the lack of side effects associated with the use of curcumin, it is not unreasonable to call the spice extract superior.

A new study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research has confirmed for the first time in a randomized, controlled clinical trial that the primary polyphenol in turmeric known as curcumin is both safe and effective in treating serious states of depression.[1]
The research was performed at the Department of Pharmacology, Government Medical College, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India, and involved patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). The objective of the trial was to compare the efficacy and safety of curcumin with fluoxetine (Prozac) in 60 patients diagnosed with MDD. Subjects were randomized to receive either a six week treatment with fluoxetine (20 mg) and curcumin (1000 mg) individually or their combination.
Success of the treatment was evaluated using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D17). The results were reported as follows:
We observed that curcumin was well tolerated by all the patients. The proportion of responders as measured by the HAM-D17 scale was higher in the combination group (77.8%) than in the fluoxetine [Prozac] (64.7%) and the curcumin (62.5%) groups; however, these data were not statistically significant (P = 0.58). Interestingly, the mean change in HAM-D17 score at the end of six weeks was comparable in all three groups (P = 0.77). This study provides first clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe modality for treatment in patients with MDD without concurrent suicidal ideation or other...

A remarkable human clinical study published in the journal Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association, revealed that turmeric extract was 100% successful at preventing prediabetic patients from becoming diabetic over the course of a 9-month intervention.

A remarkable human clinical study published in the journal Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association, revealed that turmeric extract was 100% successful at preventing prediabetic patients from becoming diabetic over the course of a 9-month intervention.[1]
Performed by Thailand researchers, the study's primary object was to assess the efficacy of curcumin, the primary polyphenol in turmeric which gives the spice its golden hue, in delaying the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a prediabetic population.
The study design was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial including 240 subjects who met the American Diabetic Association's criteria for prediabetes. All subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 250 mg of curcuminoid or placebo capsules for 9 months.
Type 2 diabetes progression was assessed by measuring a wide range of parameters, including changes in the insulin-producing cells within the pancreas known as β-cells, insulin resistance, and the anti-inflammatory cytokine known as adiponectin, at four different times: baseline, 3-, 6-, and 9-month visits during the course of intervention.
The results were reported as follows:
"After 9 months of treatment, 16.4% of subjects in the placebo group were diagnosed with T2DM, whereas none were diagnosed with T2DM in the curcumin-treated group. In addition, the curcumin-treated group showed a better overall function of β-cells, with higher HOMA-β (61.58 vs....

Since ancient times, turmeric has been used for remedying oral ailments, among other therapeutic applications too numerous to count. Now, new research indicates this amazing spice is superior to chemical mouthwash in killing gingivitis associated bacteria.

Since ancient times, turmeric has been used for remedying oral ailments, among other therapeutic applications too numerous to count.[1] Consider that plants like turmeric were first eaten for thousands of years before our species ever devised the modern day oddity of encapsulated or tableted extracts that could be swallowed without significant oral contact. It is only logical, therefore, that after long stretches of biological time, taking the root orally as either food, spice or medicine, it would agree with and have benefit for that part of our anatomy and its unique physiology.
Indeed, recent research shows that turmeric extract and turmeric oil may even reverse precancerous changes in oral submucous fibrosis in humans.[2] [3] In addition, there are at least a dozen studies showing turmeric extract can kill oral cancer cells,[4] including a recent study showing that turmeric extract-loaded nanoparticles kill chemotherapy-resistant oral cancer cells.[5] But turmeric's positive role to play in oral health encompasses more than relatively rare health issues like oral cancer, as it also has tangible value to the vast majority of folks who use common mouthwash in an attempt to keep their mouth clean of plaque.
Turmeric contains approximately 3-4% curcumin by dry weight. This yellow pigmented polyphenol has been studied extensively in human clinical research as a natural alternative to the common mouthwash ingredient known as chlorhexidine for the...

Considering that the conventional treatment of advanced stage pancreatic cancer can result in as little as a 1% 5-year survival rate, new preclinical research on a liposomal turmeric extract that inhibits pancreatic tumor growth by 42% is all the more promising.

Considering that the conventional treatment of advanced stage pancreatic cancer can result in as little as a 1% 5-year survival rate, new preclinical research on a liposomal turmeric extract that inhibits pancreatic tumor growth by 42% is all the more amazing.
A promising new study published in the journal Anticancer Research, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the International Institute of Anticancer Research, reveals a unique turmeric extract known as liposomal curcumin may provide an ideal chemotherapy alternative in the treatment of highly lethal pancreatic cancers.[1]
Curcumin is the primarly polyphenol in turmeric, and has been the subject of extensive research demonstrating its ability to kill cancer cells, with over 1,500 studies available to view on Greenmedinfo.com relevant to over 100 distinct cancer types, including 24 studies demonstrating its anti-pancreatic cancer properties. [View all the curcumin studies.]
Liposomal curcumin utilizes a successful lipid-based drug delivery system, with some liposomal formulations having already received FDA approval. Owing to curcumin's low water solubility and subsequent low systemic bioavailability, its encapsulation into liposomes (artificially-prepared vesicle composed of a lipid bilayer) greatly improves its ability to gain entry into the body by passing through the 'glucoronidation barrier' in the liver.
Exocrine pancreatic cancer is notorious for responding poorly to conventional treatment, with...

Spot this valuable class of antioxidants in common foods and spices...Unravel the riddle of polyphenols.

Articles appear daily touting the benefits of blueberries, chocolate, red wine, olives, grape seeds/skin and thousands of other herbs, oils, extracts, spices and ferments. These are usually accompanied by strange words like quercetin, anthocyanins, flavonoids and tongue twisters like epigallocatechin that fly over the head of average people just trying to improve their health. Few look any further, much less review the actual chemistry involved.
Science is finally beginning to recognize the role of oxidative stress in all disease (yes, that includes cancers, heart, joint, diabetic and other conditions). Unless you zero-in on this concept you will wander the wilderness of medical literature and never find healing. As fully described in my previous GMI articles, antioxidants quantitatively oppose oxidative cell damage to restore functionality as part of an overall protocol.... And polyphenols are a particularly effective class of antioxidant that protects unsaturated fatty acids and cell membranes from crippling and unrelenting attack by highly destructive hydroxyl radicals.
The book Forbidden Healing translates and organizes basic cell physiology and chemistry into simple terms that can be applied inexpensively and effectively by physicians and the growing number of people seizing personal responsibility for their own well-being and survival. Conventional medicine fails to recognize or address the true cause of disease, so it is incumbent on the...

Turmeric has legendary status as a disease-fighting agent, but did you know that when administered in low doses to already healthy adults it significantly improves their wellness?

Turmeric has legendary status as a disease-fighting agent, but did you know that when administered in low doses to already healthy adults it significantly improves their wellness?
Over the years, there has been plenty of research performed on the value of natural substances in treating human diseases, but very little has been conducted on the effects of commonly used supplements and/or food components such as spices in already healthy people to improve their well-being.
All the more reason why a study published in 2012 in the Nutrition Journal titled, "Diverse effects of a low dose supplement of lapidated curcumin in healthy middle aged people,' holds great interest among those on the fence about using dietary supplements to improve the quality and perhaps length of their lives, but for which clinical proof is lacking.
The study was conducted in healthy middle aged people (40–60 years old) with a low dose of curcumin (80 mg/day) in a fat soluble (lipidated) form. Curcumin is the primary polyphenol found in turmeric (3% concentration by dry weight), which gives the root its bright saffron color. Two groups of 19 subjects were given either curcumin or placebo for 4 weeks. Blood and saliva samples were taken before and after the 4 weeks and analyzed for the following blood and saliva measures relevant to health promotion:
Blood plasma levels of triglycerides and cholesterol concentrations (mg/dl).
Blood plasma concentrations of nitric oxide and...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful, debilitating and even life threatening condition without many known natural therapies proven effective. All that changed in 2012 when it was revealed a turmeric extract is superior to the blockbluster drug Diclofenac sodium in relieving the condition of those suffering with RA.

A highly promising pilot study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research[i] broke new ground in 2012 by identifying a safe and effective natural alternative to drug therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful and debilitating autoimmune disease that can lead to a substantial loss of mobility and function, if not adequately treated. While gradual disfiguration of flexible joints in the fingers are a characteristic sign of this disorder, RA has the potential to affect many tissues and organs by contributing to chronic, systemic inflammatory activity. Estimates are that RA activity beyond the joints, also known as extra-articular rheumatoid arthritis, affects 15-25% of all individuals afflicted by the condition.[ii]
Standard treatment often involves the use of pharmacological painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs intended to suppress symptoms but not alter the underlying trajectory of the disease. In some cases steroids, and even chemotherapy class drugs like methotrexate are employed, which carry serious if not also on rare occasion lethal side effects.
In the study titled, "A randomized, pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of curcumin patients with active rheumatoid arthritis," forty-five patients diagnosed with RA were randomized into three groups with patients receiving curcumin (500 mg) and diclofenac sodium (50 mg) alone or their combination. Curcumin is the most thoroughly researched...

A turmeric study published in Cancer Letters is paving the way for a revolution in the way that we both understand and treat cancer.

A turmeric study published in Cancer Letters is paving the way for a revolution in the way that we both understand and treat cancer.
Titled, "Targeting cancer stem cells by curcumin and clinical applications," U.S. researchers evaluated the primary polyphenol in the Indian spice known as curcumin for its ability to target cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are believed to be at the root cause of tumor formation and malignancy.
Whereas conventional models of cancer assumed that the majority of the cancer cells within a tumor possess self-renewal capacity to differing degrees, the CSC model proposes that, "[T]he initiation, maintenance, and growth of a tumor is driven by a minor population of cancer cells termed cancer stem cells (CSCs)," and that "These CSCs undergo continuous self-renewal and differentiate to heterogeneous cancer cells, yielding new tumors recapitulating the parental tumors, while the majority of cancer cells lack self-renewal capacity."
In other words, the CSCs are at the apex of a hierarchy of cells within the tumor, and are the "mother" of the various daughter cells that make it up, most of which are intrinsically benign. In the study, conventional treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy (as tested by a rodent model with a 2-year experimental window to evaluate treatment efficacy and safety) was found incapable of identifiying the CSC-mediated cause of post-treatment tumor recurrence, which in humans can take decades after initial...

An amazing new study finds this ancient healing spice might have life-saving properties in diabetes.

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease." ~ Thomas Edison
A remarkable new study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry reveals the immense value of the ancient spice turmeric in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and the reversal of pathological states linked to its most deadly complication: atherosclerotic heart disease.
The new study titled, "Reduction of atherogenic risk in patients with type 2 diabetes by curcuminoid extract: a randomized controlled trial,"[i] dovetails nicely with a 2012 study published in the American Diabetes Association's own journal, Diabetes Care, which found turmeric 100% effective in preventing the development of type 2 diabetes in prediabetics over the course of a six month intervention with curcumin.[1]
In the new study, researchers from Thailand conducted a 6-month randomized, double-blinded and placebo-controlled clinical trial comprised of 226 subjects diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (mean duration of the disease ~ 6 years), equally divided into a treatment (113) and placebo group (113). They aimed to explore the role that the golden-hued polyphenol found in turmeric known as curcumin might play in preventing atherosclerosis, by measuring its effects on the following parameters of atherogenic risk:
Pulse Wave Velocity: a measure of arterial stiffness, which a...

Presently, there are no pharmaceutical interventions that effectively slow, and certainly not reverse, age-related cerebrovascular pathologies linked to conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and stroke. A new study on turmeric extract, however, indicates that a natural curative agent already exists and is close to the everyday consumer as their spice rack.

Presently, there are no pharmaceutical interventions that effectively slow, and certainly not reverse, age-related cerebrovascular pathologies linked to conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and stroke. A new study on turmeric extract, however, indicates that a natural curative agent already exists and is close to the everyday consumer as their spice rack.
A promising study published in Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry titled, "Dietary Curcumin Ameliorates Aging-Related Cerebrovascular Dysfunction through the AMPK/Uncoupling Protein 2 Pathway,"[i] reveals the primary polyphenol in turmeric known as curcumin (which gives it its golden hue) may provide what the study authors describe as an "effective therapeutic strategy to reverse age-related cerebrovascular dysfunction."
Age-related cerebrovascular dysfunction is occurring on an epidemic scale in Western countries and include, "stroke, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases." Presently, very few if any conventional medical interventions are capable of providing effective solutions, and none have been found to reverse underlying pathologies in conditions whose trajectories are generally characterized as 'incurable.' All the more reason why the new study holds so much promise in providing an evidence-based natural solution that is safe, effective, affordable and easily accessible as a familiar food ingredient.
The study was conducted using a rat model. 24-month old male...

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